York Minster was completed in 1472. It is the largest medieval Gothic church in
northern Europe.

West Entrance

View from Deanery Gardens (in winter)

South Transept, including the Rose Window

Some of the interesting features inside York Minster are the stained glass windows,
the wooden ceiling of the Chapter House, and the organ.
There are many beautiful stone carvings in the Minster, showing a wide range of
historical, religious and symbolic characters.

As the street sign below indicates, there are many things to do in York! Most
of the street names in the centre of York end with "gate": this was
the Viking word meaning "street".

Many old buildings have been preserved in the city centre.

A medieval
timber-framed house

Printer's Devil
(33 Stonegate)

Box pews at Holy Trinity Church
(off Goodramgate)

There are lots of interesting shops in the narrow streets of the city centre:
for example, around the Shambles, Stonegate and Petergate. Cars cannot drive in
this part, so it is easy to walk around. Betty's Tea Rooms (established in 1919)
is a popular place to have tea - it is located in St Helen's Square.

Jorvik was the name given to York by the Vikings (from Scandinavia) who invaded
this area in 866 and made it their capital city. Many ancient remains have been
discovered, providing a lot of information about what life was like.

The Jorvik Viking Centre (in Coppergate) is a museum which includes a ride through
the street as it may have been in Viking times, when it was a busy market area.
It also explains how archaeologists have used the bones and other objects found
here to improve our understanding of Viking life.

Entrance to the
Jorvik Viking Centre

This image of the Viking warrior
Erik Bloodaxe inspired the museum's logo

Clifford's Tower is the only remaining part of York Castle. There was a
massacre of Jews here in 1190.

There are a series of gateways (called "bars") through which people
entered the walled city. The stone figures at the top are holding stones ready
to be dropped onto any enemy soldiers who approach.

Clifford's Tower

Bootham Bar: the oldest gateway

The bottom half of the Multangular Tower in Museum Gardens is the only
remaining part of the Roman walls. The top half of the tower and the town walls
which you can see around York were built in the Middle Ages (between the 12th
and 14th centuries). The cross-shaped windows you can see below were used by archers
when defending the city. You can walk along the remaining sections of the walls,
for example between Bootham Bar and Monk Bar.

The National Railway Museum - the biggest railway museum in the world -
is on Leeman Road, next to York railway station. Railways came to York in 1839.
The city's location (on the main route between London and Edinburgh) made it an
important transport centre.

A statue in the museum honours George Stephenson, who created the Rocket (this
won a competition for locomotives in 1829, and helped trains to become a method
of long-distance transportation of people and goods). Another famous train is
the Mallard, which holds the record as the world's fastest steam locomotive. In
1938 it pulled 7 train carriages at a speed of 203 km/h (126 mph).

Some trains are operated on short sections of track outside the museum.

The York Dungeon brings to life some of the more scary events from York's
history, using a mixture of actors and displays. For example, learn about Margaret
Clitherow who refused to change her Catholic beliefs and was killed in 1586 by
having a wooden door placed over her body weighed down with heavy stones until
she was crushed (you can visit her house in the Shambles, which is now a shrine).
Visits to the dungeon last about 1 hour.

The main river through York is called the Ouse. For many years the river
was a major route for trading ships, but the arrival of the railways made it easier
to transport goods here by train. These days the main boats on the river are for
tourists. Occasionally the river floods (2000 was a particularly bad year). Some
of the pubs beside the river have a sign showing how high the water has reached
in the past.

The oldest bridge is the Ouse Bridge, which is believed to be at the same
place that the Romans first built a bridge across the river. The newest bridge
is the Millennium Bridge: this footbridge opened in 2000.

From the 18th century York became famous for the manufacture of chocolate. Rowntree's
(now owned by the Swiss company Nestlé) created many types of sweet which
are popular in Britain, such as KitKats, Smarties and Fruit Pastilles. Terry's
is another popular sweet manufacturer which used to be based in York: it is best
known for its "chocolate orange".

The Jorvik Viking Festival takes place in February each year. Past events
have included re-enactments of battles between Viking and Saxon soldiers, Viking
market stalls, and races on the river in Viking long-ships.
In 2010 the festival is from 13-21 February 2010, with the battle re-enactment
on Saturday 20 February 2010 (tickets for the battle must be pre-booked).

Demonstration of Viking fighting techniques

Battle re-enactment

Fire display

The St Nicholas Fayre is a Christmas market that usually takes place over
about 4 days at the end of November or in early December. This is one of the most
popular annual events in York's calendar, attracting thousands of visitors to
the city. Stalls are set up around St Sampson's Square and Parliament Street,
and also indoors in buildings such as the Guildhall, St William's College (near
York Minster) and Barley Hall. These sell food, crafts, Christmas decorations
and seasonal gifts.
In 2009 this event was on 26-29 November 2009.

Christmas gifts and decorations are on sale

Roasted chestnuts

Hot drinks

The Festival of Angels takes place over a weekend in mid-December. There
are ice sculptures on the streets around Swinegate, Back Swinegate and Grape Lane
(the area of York known as The Quarter), plus food and drink stalls.
In 2009 this event was on 12-13 December 2009 from 12-6pm.

* Transportation
For train timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/TheTrainline
Direct train services from London King's Cross station to York take about 2 hours.
For coach timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/NationalExpress
Direct coach services from London's Victoria Coach Station take about 5 hours
(longer if you need to change in Leeds)

Lonely Planet verdict: York
"York's historic stature and strategic importance has left the city
with a rare weight of cultural and architectural heritage. Its city walls,
built during the 13th century, are among the most impressive surviving
medieval fortifications in Europe. They encompass a thriving, fascinating
centre with narrow medieval streets and grand Georgian townhouses. Its
glory is the biscuit-coloured shock of the minster, a Gothic cathedral
on an immense scale. York's magnificence attracts millions of visitors,
and July and August can be crowded"
(extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used
with permission)